Five and One
by The Eccentric
Summary: The five times Artemis Crock loved, and the one time she lost.
1. nine

consider this disclaimed.

* * *

**Cameron**  
_(nine)_

* * *

No matter how often she sees him, she remembers his younger self fondly. She remembers how he would awkwardly stand in their tiny apartment and scuff his shoes on the floor as she and Jade regarded him curiously. That had been the first time her father had worked with his. Since then the two had become friends.

And since them becoming friends, they had become more.

After their mother went to prison, Jade would show up out of the blue and tease her about her 'boyfriend'. Artemis couldn't help but to get so riled that she would snap at her older sister and it would quickly escalate into a fight. The two would still once they heard their father stir, trying to untangle themselves from a loving, sibling tangle they had gotten themselves into before he caught them and Jade would flee. Claiming in that mocking voice that her time for visiting was up before her father could force her into staying.  
Those had been the times she missed her sister the most, but Cameron had taken to trying to fill that void for her since then. Surprisingly enough, he was doing quite well at it.

He could make her smile like no other. Even through the bruises and the cuts, she would always smile for him. Not because he had made her laugh or said anything remotely sweet, but simply because she wanted to smile for him. Her mother had always taught her that smiling was one of Life's greatest gifts to share. Artemis was more than happy to share it with Cam. She wanted him to be happy because he made her happy.

He was her only friend in the cold world her father had pushed her into. And despite the chill of his hand, he warmed her heart.

They were innocent in love, but that was all they could claim innocence to. Their parents were raising them to be criminals, to be pawns, to kill. The two of them had already seen the cruelty that people were capable of; and more often than not, that cruelty had been experienced firsthand.

When that happened, the other would be there.

Artemis would wrap his broken arm carefully after setting the bone and placing it in a makeshift splint. She held back her own tears of empathy for his pain.

Cameron would disinfect and sew up a six inch cut along her leg while reminding her softly that everything would be alright.  
They were friends. She was glad they were friends because she loved him with all of her heart. He would embarrass her, even in private, by admitting to that he loved her on a daily basis, promising that one day she would be his bride. They already had it planned out: the two of them would run away. When no one could find them and drag them back to the cruel world that they had been forced into.

They all had their days though.

Cameron's were the worst for her, even worse than her own. His father's cruelty ran over into him and he would drown in it, until he accepted it.

Those were the days he would promise to take her to Wonderland. His tone of voice would be chilly and the look in his eyes were reminiscent of the Artic. There seemed to be no love for her in those eyes. Those were the times that Artemis would tear up, reminded of her broken family. Her broken life. The things she would be forced to do in the future. The things she had already done.

Then he would snap back.

Be it from her tears or not, he would curse his mistake and begin to apologize.

Holding her head carefully, he would press his forehead to hers and whisper how sorry he was, explaining that he didn't mean it, that he didn't mean to make her sad. He would continue and remind her about how much he loved her. She was the air he needed to breathe.

Just as he was Artemis' rock.

Artemis always forgave him because she knew firsthand the stress he lived with. Their fathers were of the same breed. They were of the same breed, the same design. Only they had been cut from different cloths.

She would kiss his cheek sweetly and enjoy the bright red flush that stained his cheek no matter the amount of times she did this.

And she would hold his hands with hers, promising herself that she would never forget the way his chilled skin felt against her own.

* * *

**Ah. Well.  
Hello there.  
You've stumbled upon...this.  
Right on, right on.**

**Um, let me see.  
They are short.  
Don't expect any of them to be over 1,000 words; they are very drabble.  
There is a good chance of smut(citrusy twist, at the very least) in chapter 5. So this will be bumped up to a M rating when I finish that chapter.  
I believe that's it. I've already gotten 4/6 of these done, so hopefully this writing streak will continue on and I can get back to some of my other stories.**

**Enjoy, guys!  
Until next time.**


	2. fifteen

consider it disclaimed.

* * *

**Conner**  
_(fifteen)_

* * *

When she was introduced to the team, Artemis' eyes landed on the buff boy first. She checked out the potential teammates very casually and that just happened to be where her eyes landed. She blames her father for the fact that she tends to search out the most powerful person in the room. She lets her eyes follow him across the room weeks later, but this was definitely done at her own will.

Superboy and she had a strained relationship. It was extremely limited due to their lack of social interaction. The two didn't talk much or discuss feelings. They fought. When they were angry or scared or just bored, they would spar.

The kicks and punches that had super strength behind them had never scared her before. It was good practice for her, was the only reason she had to assure herself.

Not even the time when he had landed a hit on her left side.

She had hit the wall hard. The resounding crack of her ribs echoed throughout the room, but Artemis was too busy trying to catch her breath. Conner was quick to rush to her side and pick the smaller girl up. Still breathing hard she still managed to speak out to him.

"About time you hit something, Superboy."

This was said with a cocked grin and a wink. For some reason it had made the clone feel better about breaking two of her ribs, bruising another three, and abrasions and bruising on her back. Despite the goading she pushed his way, he refused to continue with her in that condition. Conner was careful as he carried her to the med-bay.

She knows the next time they spar he is holding back more than usual, but she says nothing as she uses it to her advantage. She is awarded victory less than two minutes after they begin.

The two would sit after they were done fighting. They wouldn't speak or even look at each other for the most part, just sit and enjoy the silence that their companionship brought.

It wasn't until Artemis heard Zatanna's passing comment about M'gann and Conner that her heart cracked, the sound echoing in her ears just as the sound from her ribs had. She was hurt. How could she have not seen it? Was she really that oblivious? Was she really not paying that much attention to M'gann?

She turned away from the scene and fled. It was the only thing she could manage to do.

She hadn't even realized until later that the reason she was hurt was because, despite the lack of communication in her and Superboy's friendship, they had an understanding.

A friendship that didn't really have boundries.

And the friendship had blossomed into something more without her realizing it. It had shifted into something she had never intended for it to become. She loved the boy.

Not because he was the beautiful, strong, cloned hunk of a guy, but because they could sit and say nothing for hours without being bored.

He wouldn't judge her and she didn't judge him.

But now there wasn't even a chance.


	3. fifteen pt deux

consider it disclaimed.

* * *

**Wally  
**_(fifteen)**  
**_

* * *

They had an understanding before anything else.

They didn't like each other.

She was his best friend's replacement and he was the wannabe lady-killer that gave her a hard time.

That, like everything else, changed.

Artemis wasn't sure of the exact moment, but if she had to wager a guess, it would be around the time their Train For Failure simulation occurred. They had all died, and after that, they looked at one another different. Not just Wally and her, but the entire team.

He wasn't as abruptly harsh towards her anymore and sometimes he would ignore her completely. When he did ignore her, it suddenly began to hurt. So she started tossing out more barbs in his direction, but he normally would brush them off without even sparing a glance. So she tried a different approach.

Every elderly person she had ever met always reminded her that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

So she stopped trying to pick fights with him and started making conversations. On missions, she wouldn't complain about being partnered with him and would cover him like a shadow. It didn't take long for him to warm up to her in return. Artemis wasn't surprised when she realized that she didn't mind being friendly with the resident speedster. She didn't mind at all.

Wally hadn't seemed to mind either.

She knew how she felt for him when he kissed her at midnight. It hadn't been even close to love at that point, but it lead to it easily. They were an easy complement, and just as easily, a contrast.

They didn't stop fighting one another at any point, always fighting dominance or where to have lunch. Their fights had lost the harmful bite they had started out with and had pretty much turned to playful banter. Not to say that they didn't ever fight, of course.

When they did fight, Hell hath no fury like Artemis and Wally.

They were still just as confrontational and stubborn; and the fights often lasted days with the anger lingering about. Neither of them wanted to stand down from their guns and they would argue fiercely with one another, but their words were never hurtful.

Intentionally, that is.

Both of them had the penchant for saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time, and they tended to do it often. That particular tendency had abruptly stopped many brewing arguments from escalating into a full scale war. The offender would backtrack and stumble of their words trying to fix what they had already said with no avail. They would give up and apologize profusely, claiming they hadn't meant a word. The fight would be forgotten in the midst of the apologies.

Even when that did happen, Artemis was appreciative for the relationship with Wally. He could light her fire with ease and calm her down just as simply. He had no qualms about voicing his opinion against her. He was the one that would match her inch-for-inch at her side, while retaining the fact that should he need to he could easily go toe-to-toe with her with no fear of repercussions. She was happy to say that she would do the exact same thing for him.

* * *

**Artemis is allowed to love two people in the same year.**

**That's all I have to say.**

**(LOOK AT ME TRYING TO FOLLOW THE CANON TIMELINE. HA!)**

**Until next time!**


	4. eighteen

still disclaimed.

* * *

**Kaldur**  
_(eighteen)_

* * *

Artemis and Kaldur'ahm had a bond that was incomparable to any other she had ever formed. It was far from being like the one she and Wall shared, where friction was the key to their relationship. If anything it was closer the silent companionship she and Conner had grown into; and yet it was still one of a kind. The two of them were fluid, as cliche as it was. They were observant enough of each other to move easily around and their conversations were like water, flowing from topic to topic with no lull, no hesitation. They wouldn't even talk about the things they knew in their hero personas. It wasn't missions, plots against the earth, or their chosen activity. They spoke of the arts, world politics, themselves and their interests; their conversations were various and vast in subject matter.

Of course, they hadn't always been so free with one another, before that their friendship was almost a mirror of her and Conners really. It took her by great surprise when he chose to confide in her, of all people, about his on-going dilemma with Tula. That was when she stopped and re-evaluated the confined boundaries of their relationship. Despite lacking the experience of that kind of longing and heartbreak, she respected him for trying to move on.  
It wasn't until months later that she realized her fondness for the boy had reached a new level of affection. Artemis was never certain what it would amount to, if anything at all, so the realization was pushed back to the depths of her mind with the sole intention of focusing on her actual boyfriend.

It hadn't struck her until many more months later, as he was meticulously describing the details of Atlantis, while she listened almost dreamily to his ever calm voice, how far things had progressed. Even then it didn't come all at once. It wasn't anything like a lightning strike, or a light bulb being flicked on in a dark room; but it was a slight tingle spreading from the edge of her conscious mind, where things tended to blur a bit. He paused shortly, a small smile tugging the corners of his lips upwards, and he promised that he would show her Atlantis one day. Artemis couldn't help the wide grin that lit up her face at the prospect of actually seeing Atlantis, but then she realized that it wasn't just seeing Atlantis. The happiness she was feeling was partially because of who wanted to show her their home one day. The tingling sensation had spread as her thought process played out and as the last pieces clicked into place her stomach nearly exploded into fluttering butterflies.

She loved Kaldur just as she loved Wally.

That was the first time she allowed a conversation with her Atlantian teammate to fall into a lull by her own means. Only a few seconds of silence had passed before it was broken by Wally's unusually good timing and his usual hunger.

Artemis retreated in haste to join Wally for a quick lunch in Central City, but not before promising to share the details of her recent trip to Paris─the trip Wally had surprised her with in the middle of the night on the first night of Winter Break. Apparently, Wally had been working at a part time job when he didn't have school or training just to save up for something special for their holiday.

It wasn't long after that did Artemis note she was becoming far to good at retreating. Only this time, it was from Wally. Between the stress of her senior year, prospective colleges, and scholarship applications on top of Jade moving into the two bedroom apartment in attempt to fly straight while pursuing a relationship with the cloned Roy, her relationship had slowly edged its way from its place near the top of her list. She couldn't handle everything at the moment, and Wally didn't deserve that. He deserved to be someone's number one and right now Artemis was unable to give him that.  
The fact that Wally was just as stressed as her didn't help the situation, in fact, it probably aided in her leaving the boy sitting in the Central City Public Park.

One ill placed comment had been misinterpreted, then of course one thing led to another, and they fought. The two of them practically took turns saying the worst things possible in the situation to each other setting one another of even more, and that's when she ended it. There was not hesitance, no uncertainty in her voice. She couldn't handle the stress anymore, his or hers'. She had taken a deep breath and calmly said they both had enough on their plates as it was and they didn't need the added stress they were forcing upon themselves with a relationship. They needed a break, at least until finals were over.

At first Wally said nothing, just stared angrily with those green eyes she practically adored. It was a stiff nod and a curt 'fine' when he finally answered her. Artemis gave a slow nod in response and wasted no time turning on her heel and walking away. It wasn't that she wanted to make a statement by walking away, it was the fact that walking away was what she was supposed to do. Besides, her eyes were stinging and she didn't want him to see that right after she broke up with him.

Wandering through the streets of Central was nothing like watching every step you took in Gotham, you could get lost in thought without having much concern whether someone would pull you into an ally at gunpoint; so out of dumb luck or sheer habit Artemis found herself standing in the 'bad' part of town in front of an abandoned parking garage. Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, she ducked under the battered toll arm and let herself into the security booth. Mili-seconds later she was greeted with the familiar sight of the inside of Mount Justice.

Her steps were lighter than normal in attempt to keep the unusually quiet atmosphere of the Cave just that. She knew that she and Wally had opted out of going on the latest mission, which was more than likely the reason it was so peaceful for once. Part of Artemis wished she had decided to go despite the fact it was an easy covert mission to let the newest recruits get a little more comfortable working within the team; but she didn't think she could have dealt with even more stress on her part and there was always the fact that Wally had been very insistent about them skipping missions to spend time together.

"Perhaps it is just me, but it does not seem normal for you to pace the hallway in frustration, my friend."

Oh.

Had she really started pacing? Letting out a short breath, Artemis turned slightly and leaned back into the wall looking down at the floor. From the corner of the eye, she could see Kaldur's feet, bare as always, and she could tell he was standing at ease waiting for a response.

"I suppose your silence is an affirmation that it is indeed, just me," he added after another moment of silence.  
"Sorry," Artemis mutter, still not looking up.

"There is no need to apologize, Artemis. You are upset and I disturbed your peace. I could leave you alone if you like," Kaldur's voice was soft and comforting as he stepped closer to her.

"No, you didn't disturb me. I just," she paused, searching for the words, "Needed to get away from things."

"Come then," he extended his hand as he spoke, "And you may tell me if these things are chasing after you, if you see fit."

Artemis didn't think twice as she slipped her hand into Kaldur's. A small scowl pulled at her lips, " I don't think I want to talk about it."

"Then you do not have to," Kaldur was quick to answer.

Artemis squeezed his hand gently and half smiled. The smile disappeared as an image of upset green eyes burned in her mind, but she remained silent, still grasping his hand. The two stayed silent until they encountered the small alcove they tended to occupy when they conversed. An armchair and a small loveseat was tucked away in a dead end corridor that they had claimed as their own. Kaldur released her hand to take his normal spot in the chair; and Artemis didn't hesitate in taking her own spot, slouching against the arm of the loveseat.

"So..."Artemis searched her mind for anything other than Wally to use as a topic. "Everyone out on the mission?"

"Zatanna was wandering about, but I have not seen her since before the team left," Kaldur answered patiently. "It is likely she has left since then."

"Oh."

"I apologize that I am not the company you were looking for," Kaldur joked lightly.

"That's not it," Artemis nearly groaned.

"You know that you can confide anything in me, Artemis," his voice was more serious this time, Artemis squeezed her eyes shut and let her head fall back against the cushions.

"I know, Kaldur," her response came after a short pause, but she said nothing else.

And Kaldur waited. The ever present look of calm on his face, but his eyes as attentive as ever, he waited.

"I broke up with Wally."

"And yet you are upset?"

"I do love him, you know," Artemis' had adopted a slightly defensive tone as she said this.

"We all know that you do, Artemis," Kaldur's soothing voice made her feel a bit less on edge. "No one would ever question that. It is only the fact that you...broke up with him."

"I had my reasons." Artemis was quiet as she folded her legs to her chest, resting her chin in the small gap between her knees, casting her eyes towards the floor. "I have a lot to think about right now."

Kaldur said nothing and she wouldn't meet his eyes. With an inaudible sigh, he was on his feet and in only a few steps he had seated himself next to the archer. Less than an inch of space between them and his arm was around her shoulders immediately.

"Forgive me," he chuckled lowly. "You are the last person I had expected to ever have to comfort."

"I can't say that I ever expected to need to be comforted by you," Artemis' voice was husky as she tried to blink back the tear threatening to form.

"Yet, here we are."

"Here we are." Artemis said nothing, choosing to lean into her friend instead. Kaldur was a friend; a friend that she loved as more than a friend, but was not aware of this. He was still a friend and that's what she needed right now.

Kaldur was quick to wrap his other arm around the blonde as she slouched against him. They sat in silence for what seemed to be hours and even though his arm was beginning to cramp, he said nothing. That is until she sighed softly against his neck and couldn't help his next words.

"Artemis," his voice was barely above a whisper. "What were your reasons?"

Artemis stiffened in his grasp and said nothing for a long moment.

"Stress," the single word came out as a choked whisper and Kaldur turned to look at the archer, one eyebrow arched curiously.

"I love someone else," her voice was small and her head was lowered. She looked defeated.

"A person is allowed to have more than one love, Artemis," Kaldur stated with ease. "It is unlikely that you were unfaithful to Wally, so you have done nothing wrong."

"For all I know, I broke his heart because I can't deal. To me, that is wrong."

"From what I see, you have broken your own heart, Artemis."

"Right now, it's best for the both of us," Artemis said firmly.

"If you are trying to convince yourself, Artemis, you cannot play the Devil's Advocate at the same time." Kaldur released his hold on Artemis, working the cramps from his stiff limbs.

"I'm not trying to..." Artemis trailed off and let her head fall back against the couch.

"Since you have finally realized that you are not wrong, perhaps we should change the subject?"

"Yeah, yeah." Artemis waved him on.

"Do I know this new suitor that has caught your affections?" A small smile graced Kaldur's lips, it was as close to teasing as Kaldur got. Artemis looked at him, wide-eyed and turning a deep shade of red.

"N-no! This isn't exactly the subject we should be talking about with...everything going on," Artemis waved her hand wildly about to help emphasize her point.

Kaldur just chuckled.

"My apologies for bring up another touchy subject, but," his hand was on her cheek, pressing gently until she faced him. "You cannot expect me to play a fool in all this, Artemis."

The rough feel of his skin against her now burning face lingered for a short few seconds before falling away. It was an interesting sensation, his skin against her own in such an intimate way, and Artemis couldn't help but wish it had lasted for just a bit longer. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and turned her head away.

"I'm so sorry," she spoke softly, looking towards the floor.

"As I said before, there is no need to apologize."

"So you know then."

"I do."

"For how long?"

"I am uncertain of precisely when, but I believe it was even before you realized."

"So how do you know it was before I realized that I...uh...you know?" It was hard for Artemis to say it for some reason.

"I told you that I would show you Atlantis one afternoon," Kaldur's voice held a small hint of sadness that even she was able to pick up on. "Promised it to you, I believe, and you smiled, Artemis. You smiled the same way Tula used to smile at Garth, the same smile you saved for Wally."

"A smile? That's what you're going on?"

He ignored her comment and continued, "I know because after you left in such a hurry, I smiled the same way."

* * *

**Originally, there was no smut in this.**  
**Then I rewrote it.**  
**Then I rewrote it again because it didn't fit with the tone.**  
**And there is no smut. :c**

**But gods, I love Kaldur.**


	5. nineteen

**consider it disclaimed.  
**

batman and nightwing  
_or_  
_bruce and dick_  
_(nineteen)_

If blame could be placed in this situation, Artemis felt like she would have no problem naming off the girls in her psychology class. It had all stemmed from a simple filler project from a lazy professor, as long as you turned something in relevant to the topic and of appropriate length, you would pass.

The topic?

Pick a superhero, explain why they choose that lifestyle in personal opinion.

It was a ridiculous topic really, and she dreaded having to pick apart someone she probably knew to figure out why they did what they did. After the assignment had been given, they were divided up into groups to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of one another. Artemis had been stuck in the group of girls that knew every detail of every relationship on campus, including hers.

So she did the logical thing and tried to stay out of the conversation as long as possible.

"Well Artemis?Who are you going to write about?" the small Asian girl to her left, Artemis can't remember her name for the life of her, asked with a grin on her face.

"Probably Batman or Superman," Artemis replied shrugging.

"With all the younger heroes out there? You pick one of the senior citizens?" a redhead across the group from her laughed. "Red Arrow, Nightwing, and Superboy, and you're thinking creepy old Batman?"

"Batman taught Nightwing everything he knew," Artemis couldn't help to point out, she was becoming annoyed already. "This isn't a beauty contest. It's an assignment."

"As long as I have an excuse to stare at Superboy's arms for an entire class and get participation points, I don't care what you call it." The redhead nudged the blonde next to her, wiggling her eyebrows.

"So Artemis likes the older men," the Asian girl spoke again through her own laughter. "Besides there's no telling what all Batman did teach Nightwing with all his years of experience."

The word was laced with implication and it made Artemis cringe inwardly, but that didn't stop an image to begin building in her mind.

There was a chorus of 'ooh's throughout their small group before anyone said anything.

"Can you imagine..."

"The two of them together!"

"What I would give to be in between the two of them!"

"I thought that the Batman was a senior citizen!"

"Not if the lights are out and his body is as good as it looks!"

"There's no way he could be as built as Nightwing though."

"Oh goodness, that boy has the ass of a god."

"Correction: the body of a god."

Artemis was feeling a bit more uncomfortable than normal as she tried to tune out the chatter from the girls. She really didn't want to hear any of this and now she really didn't want to do this paper.

There was no point in trying to protest that Richard Grayson or Bruce Wayne weren't, in any way, attractive. Of course, they didn't need to know that she knew exactly who they were and had for a couple of years now, she had gone to school with Dick for goodness sake.

Back to the point though, those girls had planted the seed in her mind and all the blame for the small infatuation she was currently dealing with.

As a resident of Gotham, Artemis had always felt admiration for the duo. She loved what Batman stood for before Robin when she was younger, despite given lifestyle. When Robin appeared at the Bat's side, it all clicked and she fell in love with the idea of the two. She knew she wasn't the only one either. Almost the entire city of Gotham, some begrudgingly, appreciated or cared for Batman and Robin despite never having met either of them. They would fight the bad guys and everything would be happy and good for the people of Gotham. They saved little old ladies and stopped people like her father. So what exactly wasn't to love about them?

Artemis couldn't say that the comments in class has completely sullied an innocent image of the two. She had gone to school with Grayson and watched him grow into Nightwing, so there definitely had been plenty to look no matter which uniform he donned. She couldn't count the indecent thoughts she had had about the younger boy even if she wanted to (and she really didn't), but concerning his mentor was a different story altogether. Batman had never once crossed her mind in such a manner, not even when she finally pieced together the fact that he was Bruce Wayne.

Yet here she was. Sitting alone in the apartment after midnight, tapping her fingers against the arm of the couch, waiting for Wally to get home and stammer some lame excuse for being out so late. She felt flushed and couldn't help where her mind was trying to wander off to at the late hour. Artemis groaned in frustration at the thought of warm skin against hers. She threw her head back against the couch and closed her eyes, focusing on anything that wasn't...

'Naked Batman?'

Her eyes opened quickly and her face was hot from embarrassment. She murmured under her breathe,"Get ahold of yourself Artemis, geez. It's not a big deal to fantasize about people. Just pick someone other than the goddamn Batman."

Artemis took a deep breath and relaxed back into the couch. There was nothing wrong with a little dreaming, especially when Wally was out doing God knows what. Closing her eyes, she sighed in relief when Batman didn't come rushing back in all his (imagined) naked glory.

Instead, she had Nightwing, half dressed and grinning sheepishly.

_"Come on, Artemis," Dick's voice slid over her like silk as he offered a hand in her direction. "Start feeling the aster."_

_Artemis didn't say anything as she lifted her hand into his and in an instant he had pulled her to his bare chest. Her voice was low and coarse to her own ears when she finally spoke, "The mask."_

_His lips stilled at the junction of her neck and shoulder to breathe out a husky chuckle. "Sorry, Artemis, but it's staying on this time."_

_Artemis groaned in a mix of frustration and pleasure as Nightwing roughly nipped at the sensitive skin. She was quick to retaliate by tangling a hand in his soft hair and pulling him away from her neck to kiss him firmly on the lips._

_His lips were soft, far softer than hers which was no surprise. His tongue slid against hers skillfully. The two began to wage a war for dominance bringing them flush against one another._

_She couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her lips as he lifted her and carefully positioned her on his own slim hips, she was more than happy to lock her legs around him feeling a stiff bulge brush against her damp panties. He wasted no time in using her distraction to his advantage and taking control._

_His lips claimed hers, but with far less force than before. He was being deliberately slow, trying to tease her. Artemis tried to push her hips against his, but the grip he had wasn't about to be broken. A small, needy whimper escaped from the back of her throat and he pulled away, concern shone on his face._

_"Artemis?"_

_"I can't even control my own dreams."_

_"You shouldn't be trying to control them. You're supposed to be enjoying them," Dick's voice had adopted a teasing tone she had grown accustomed to. He leaned slightly to leave a small kiss against her jaw._

_"And what if I enjoy being in control?"_

_"Then take control, Artemis," his words were full of innuendo and the crooked grin on his face confirmed his meaning._

_"Take it off then." Artemis struck a serious face, despite being partially wrapped around her friend's nearly naked body._

_"What?"_

_"I'm in control," it was more to assure her then him. "Now take off the mask."_

_"Artemis..." His forehead touched hers gently and he stared into her eyes while all she could see was white. "I can't."_

_"Please, just take off the mask," she spoke softly, closing her eyes. His lips met hers in response, just as softly as her voice._

_"The mask stays." Artemis stiffened at the raspy voice that came from behind her. She was quick to pull away from the kiss and even quicker to push her body from Dick's. Within seconds her feet were on the floor and her back was to Dick, and she was facing down the Batman._

_"What are you doing here?" she said sounding incredulous._

_"It's your dream," was all he said._

_"This is dumb, Artemis. It's a dream, a fantasy that you control," she turned away muttering to herself. " This is so stupid."_  
_"You're the one talking to yourself in a dream, Artemis," the amusement was evident in Dick's voice as he commented._

_"You're talking back!"_

_"Still your dream," her friend shrugged, and she could practically hear the mischievous smirk playing at his lips._

_"Well, I—" She stopped, unsure how to win an argument with her unconscious minds personification of one of her best friends. She could barely win an argument with Nightwing to begin with._

_Artemis flinched at an unexpected weight on her shoulder. She had let herself slip into her thoughts and now Batman stood with his hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly enough, the gloves that he normally wore were absent._

_"We're here for a reason," his words were simple, but held much more implication. Her eyes widened marginally, and she hesitantly turned to meet Batman's gaze._

_Except there was no Batman. The cowl was gone and she found herself looking into the very handsome face of Bruce Wayne. She had absolutely no control over her next words._

_"What reason?" Her voice was near inaudible and sounded raspy, as though from lack of use. A warm hand pressed against her hip, snaking its way across her lower abdomen before pulling her back into a warm body she had completely forgotten about._

_"You tell us," Nightwing pressed a kiss below her ear, before stilling himself._

* * *

You may proceed to shoot me now.  
The original draft continued for about another thousand words and was smut-tastic, but it didn't read well and was a bit awkward. So I edited it out, for the time being. Hopefully, I'll remember to come back to it and rework the sex.  
Cheers.


End file.
